Bob Finnan's NBA notes: Cavs' improvement starting to show

"Like I've always said about the light at the end of the tunnel, 'It's way down there,' " Scott said. "But it's getting a little closer. I can see it without squinting.

"We knew November, December was going to be tough just with the schedule, in general, and having a young team. We knew January and February were going to be a lot more favorable because of the schedule,"

Two West Coast trips are out of the way. The Cavs are on a seven-game homestand that includes the All-Star break and wraps up Feb. 20.

"We have a lot more home games and our guys are starting to understand what they can do on a night-to-night basis," Scott said. "Going through the stretch we went through early in the season has really helped us as a basketball team because we had some tough losses, we played some good basketball teams, we were on the road a ton, and now we're back in an environment where we're very comfortable and our guys are starting to show that."

Heading into their encounter with Denver on Saturday night, they had won three in a row, six of the last seven and seven of the last 10.

In my estimation, the Cavs went through three momentum-changing moments this season:

-- Center Anderson Varejao banged knees with a Toronto player in the Raptors game on Dec. 18. The diagnosis went from a contusion to having knee surgery. Then, he suffered a blood clot in his lung, and because of the blood-thinning medicine that he's on, he will miss the rest of the season. He was having a fabulous season and was leading the league in rebounding. The Cavs had to learn how to play without him, and they have. If he had stayed healthy, the media would have been writing about Varejao trade rumors right now. With him being hurt, it ensures he'll be on the team for another season.

-- Cavs general manager Chris Grant was able to take advantage of the Memphis Grizzlies' cost-cutting measures on Jan. 22. The Cavs sent little-used power forward Jon Leuer to the Griz in exchange for center Marreese Speights, shooting guard Wayne Ellington, point guard Josh Selby and a first-round pick. Leuer isn't in Memphis' plans, and never was. He's appeared in three games for a total of seven minutes since the deal. Speights and Ellington have solidified the Cavs' second unit. It's now legit.

"Mo and Wayne are two guys who understand how to play on both ends of the floor," Scott said. "The offense was starting to come, anyway."

-- The Cavs' closed-door meeting after the lackluster loss at Detroit on Feb. 1. Some scoff at the importance of this impromptu clear-the-air session. The Cavs haven't lost since (3-0). "That woke us up," Cavs guard Dion Waiters said. "We didn't have the right mindset. Everyone was doing his own thing."

Scott said the meeting had a major impact.

"We haven't lost since," he said. "So I guess that meeting was pretty good. We've still got a few more games before we have All-Star break. I wasn't content with 13 wins or 12 wins at that particular point. I'm still not content. We've played some pretty good basketball the last couple games. But I'm nowhere near content and I hope they feel the same way."

All of a sudden, the Cavs believe. There was talent here all along. It just didn't come together as a team until now.

"With a team like we have, with all the youngsters we have, all the new parts, trying to get all those guys to understand what we're thinking or what I'm thinking from a coach's standpoint and how I think we should play, sometimes it does take time when you've got young guys who are inexperienced," Scott said. "To get them to think on one accord, all thinking the same, which is to go out there and play solid defense. Go out there and share the ball. Trust each other on both ends of the court. Continue to grow from a communication standpoint. All those things take time.

"Like we've been saying from Day 1, it's a progression, a process for us to continue to play that way and learn from our past mistakes. Then again, I think 2013 we have shown big-time signs of coming to life and playing the way I think we're capable of playing. And we've still got a lot of room to grow, there's no doubt about that. But we feel right now we're headed down the right path, and we're going to continue to keep working every day to get better."

Rooting for Lakers?

As stated here in the past, Cavs' fans will want to cheer for the Los Angeles Lakers to make the playoffs. It's not going to be easy for the dysfunctional bunch. Heading into Saturday's games, the Lakers were 24-27 and 3 1/2 games behind the No. 8 playoff spot in the Western Conference. They'll have to overtake No. 9 Portland (25-25) and No. 8 Houston (28-24) to get in.

If the Lakers make the playoffs, the Cavs get their first-round pick in the 2013 draft. If the Lakers don't make the postseason, the Phoenix Suns get their pick.

Key injuries and lack of cohesion have been problems for the Lakers.

A brouhaha erupted this week when the short-handed Lakers were playing without center Dwight Howard, who had a shoulder injury. Star guard Kobe Bryant told him to man up and play.

On the Feb. 8 edition of ESPN's NBA Countdown, analysts Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Bill Simmons weighed in on the matter.

"It's about human nature," Simmons said. "It's about character and it's about Dwight having a big free-agent contract looming. It's about whether he wants to play for a coach he doesn't like."

"Coach D'Antoni doesn't have a system that fits Dwight Howard," he said. "It comes down to whom are you going to keep? Who are you going to build your organization around? I don't think Jim Buss will trade Dwight. Jim Buss is looking bad in this whole situation, so he's making sure he is covering himself."

TNT analyst Kenny Smith said it's not going to happen for the Lakers.

"Zero chance (to) make the playoffs," Smith said. "Houston is a team that is going to be over .500. I don't think the Lakers are going to be over .500 by four games to make the playoffs. Boston has more of a chance to make the playoffs than the Lakers. I believe in the Toronto Raptors more than I believe in the Lakers."

Interestingly enough, Bryant was held scoreless in the first half of the Charlotte game on Friday. He didn't score his first basket until 8:47 left in the third quarter. He finished with 20 points in the Lakers' come-from-behind win.

Coming into his own

No one needs me to tell you Kyrie Irving is quickly becoming one of the top players in the NBA. Let's listen to the experts.

"He's an elite point guard," TNT's Charles Barkley said. "He's a terrific point guard. That team is on the right path."

Smith said he'll believe when the Cavs start winning more games.

"He's an elite point guard," he said. "What's going to make him the elite point guard? When he wins. They are a young team, and once they are playing for something that matters, all of sudden you see the best come out of them."

-- Scott has given no thought to moving Speights into the starting lineup at center. Is he better than Tyler Zeller right now? Of course. But will he be in years to come? "I still love what I see from Tyler and this is some experience he's not going to get a chance to get again," Scott said. "This is valuable for him right now going through this process of going against first-tier guys. Mo has done a great job, no doubt about that. But I haven't thought about that one second." Zeller didn't attempt a shot in Friday's game. He's hit the rookie wall.

Rumor mill

-- It's not exactly a shock the Sixers might be willing to part with former Ohio State shooting guard Evan Turner. There are questions about his perimeter shooting and what position he plays.

-- The Bulls and Raptors have had exploratory talks about sending veteran power forward Carlos Boozer to Toronto for forward/center Andrea Bargnani. The Bulls are in desperate need of 3-point shooting, something the 7-foot Bargnani could provide. Neither player is great defensively. But if anyone can transform Bargnani on defense, it's Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau.

-- The emergence of All-Star Paul George has made Pacers small forward Danny Granger expendable. However, I believe they'll need both players to get where they want to go in the playoffs.

Quick shots

-- Two former All-Star performers are expected to return from knee injuries sometime after the All-Star break: 76ers center Andrew Bynum and Bulls point guard Derrick Rose. "I say hold (Rose) off until next season," ESPN's Johnson said. "You're not going to advance to the NBA Finals this season. I believe the Miami Heat will advance, regardless, to the NBA Finals." Here's one prediction: Bynum's bowling career is over.

-- USA Today recently purchased the popular website, www.hoopshype.com, for a reported $9 million. The site is an everyday must-read for NBA fans.

-- During practice, loud music can be heard on the Cleveland Clinic Courts floor. Scott said Cavs assistant coach Jamahl Mosley picks the tunes. "If I picked the music we'd be listening to Luther Vandross and Anita Baker," Scott said.